Slowly, but Surely
by Patch-insertnumbershere
Summary: (TonioWIL) Almost every day, Wil would arrive home from his morning walk and run into Tonio. Eventually, the two would converse more with each passing day; however, Wil realized that perhaps he may like the opera singer in a manner beyond "friends". Wil asks Kyo and Yuu for some advice in order to confess his feelings. Will he be able to tell Tonio how he feels? Maybe.


**D**isclaimer: The Vocaloids featured in this story obviously do not belong to me. They belong to their rightful companies which includes Yamaha and Zero-G.

Notes: I did this story for someone who liked Tonio/WIL as a surprise a month or two ago. I'm not sure how well it will hold on this site, but it's worth a shot.

Also, the Vocaloid section of this site (in the pairing category) lacks in miscellaneous pairings which doesn't involve Crypton Vocaloids.

* * *

It was seven-thirty in the morning on a chilly fall day as music blasted from the headphones which were connected to his cellphone. He was finishing his morning walk around the block. No, he wasn't health-conscious, he simply did it for whatever reason. Probably boredom, or he secretly enjoyed the misty morn like today.

Wil, a member of the Vocaloid3 family and the group ZOLA, adjusted his ebony and gold coloured scarf around his neck just as he was reaching close distance to the house he shared with…well, a lot of other Vocaloids. God, how he missed living in that cozy apartment with Yuu and Kyo. It was so peaceful and had less drama spurring from it.

Oh well. Maybe this was for the better. Wil was able to interact with others, an activity he wasn't fond that much of due to his shy personality.

…granted, he would never openly admit to being shy; so instead, he came off as simply stoic and serious. One could call this either a misunderstanding of one's character, or a case of hiding of one's true self by using a "mask". Well, it wasn't as though he would be the only one doing the latter.

Speak of the devil — so to say as an expression — a taxi pulled up to the sidewalk across from the house where Wil resided — in English, the English-Spanish Vocaloid residence — and out stepped Tonio, an older Vocaloid who seemed "off-putting" such as himself.

Wil stopped walking immediately and watched the opera singer wrap a red scarf around himself to keep warm. He could've sworn he heard Tonio grumbling to himself in Italian…or Spanish, Wil wasn't entirely sure on which of the languages it was. He must have stayed out, drunk until he passed out, and was now suffering from an unholy hangover. Once the taxi drove off and Tonio covered his ears as he clammed his eyes tight, Wil's assumption was confirmed.

A small smile crept to the younger Vocaloid's lips. "Are you dealing with another hangover?" he called out, although it came just above a whisper due to his gentle voice.

Tonio opened his eyes and glanced over to the right of him, spotting Wil staring at him in a casual manner. Odd, Wil was smiling for once. "Unfortunately, yes I am," he responded, loud enough for the other Vocaloid to hear. "It's been an occurrence as of lately, so…I'll get over it."

"Eventually?"  
"Yes."

Wil felt his smile widen. "I see. Well, I hope you feel better, Tonio…"

Tonio's face burnt crimson at the smile and quickly covered his mouth with his scarf, mumbling out, "Thank you, Wil. I hope you had a nice…walk?" He quirked a brow over at him as a way to ask if he was correct about what Wil was doing.

"I did." The dark-haired man waved at him, then went up to the entrance of the house, unlocked the door, and let himself in.

There was something about Tonio that he liked, however it was hard to completely explain if he was being questioned.

* * *

"I think I like Tonio."

On second thought, forget the sentence prior to Wil's sudden announcement.

Before saying those words, Wil had been hanging out in Kyo's room with the room's owner and Yuu as the trio watched a movie together on the bed.

"Tonio…?" Yuu quietly repeated the opera singer's name.

"What?" Kyo blinked. "Why him?"

Wil shrugged as he leaned back against the wall, carefully holding the bowl of popcorn in his hands. "He's interesting."

The long-haired man beside him scrunched his brows at that reply. "That's all? There has to be a reason why you like him…" he paused, "wait, like as in friendship-like?"

"Romantic."  
"Oh, romantic. Got it."

Yuu blinked while he leaned forward in his spot to look at Wil clearly. "So you have a crush on Tonio?"

Kyo, being how he was, finally realized what Wil had admitted to. He liked Tonio in a romantic way? A crush? "Wait, what? A crush?"

"Stop repeating everything like a parrot, Kyo," Wil told him without his tone changing. "Yes, I have feelings for Tonio…it seems."

"This sounds like a dumb question but…" Kyo asked, "why do you like him? I mean, I haven't really seen you interact with him or showed any kind of feelings that resemble a 'crush'…so what's up?"

His eyes softened. "Well…it's like this: We would see each other almost every morning and late at night. I would be finishing my walk in the morning, and he would come home from a trip; and then I'd start my evening walk while he took a cab into town for a few drinks.  
We would see each other during those times, like I said, and we would have brief chats if he felt okay to do so. I guess…it felt nice talking to him. He seems like a nice person, to be honest. He's simply 'shy', so to say."

Yuu spoke, "Like yourself?"

"Kinda," was Wil's reply. "There's just something that makes me like him a lot." He glanced over to the other two. "I was thinking…I could try hanging out with him. Maybe try to get to know him outside of our meetings outside. Does that sound like a good idea?"

Yuu and Kyo looked at each other, and then they glanced back to their close friend. Kyo said, "Guess so. You should go for it."

"Who knows?" Yuu added in, "Tonio might like you. I have a feeling you two could get along…"

Wil smiled a bit at that.

* * *

Tonio was taking a sip of his black coffee as a way to calm his hangover down around the same time the backyard door slip open then closed. The opera singer looked over his shoulder from his spot at the outdoor table to see Wil with one hand gripping loosely on the scarf he wore whilst the other remained in his trouser pocket.

"Afternoon, Tonio," Wil greeted him. "How's your hangover? Feeling better?"

Tonio gazed down at his cup of coffee, sloshing it about slowly. "Somewhat," he responded truthfully. "My head is throbbing, but I'm wide awake."

"I see…" he murmured. "By the way, Tonio…"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if it would be okay if I were to accompany you. That's okay, right?"

For added effect, Wil smiled at Tonio who immediately coughed and blushed from the handsome sight. Tonio, instead of talking, nodded then began to drink his coffee again. Wil took the seat beside him, mumbling a "thanks" to him.

Wil said suddenly, "You know…you sure blush a lot."

"I'm not blushing," he scoffed softly at that comment, "it's cold out here. The chill is making blood rush to my face."

"If you say so." Wil felt his smile widening.

Silence.

Wil's eyes gazed lazily to Tonio, watching him take another sip of his coffee in peace. He looked ahead, unfazed by anything at the moment. What should he say? It wasn't as though they were complete strangers. No, of course not! They've known each other ever since Wil moved in with the other two members of ZOLA.

Wil frowned immediately. Darn, he couldn't find any words to say to him.

"So," Tonio spoke up, which caught the quiet Vocaloid beside him, "how have you been doing since your walk? Don't you ever get cold?"

Yes, a conversation. This was perfect…!

"Not…really, no, I don't." Wil shook his head. "I like it when it's cold outside. I admit though…" he added, sounding like a whisper to Tonio, "it gets kind of lonely walking by myself sometimes, but I've gotten used to it."

Tonio hummed in thought.

"How about you?" Wil questioned as he tilted his head to one side. "Do you enjoy going out to drink? You seem to do it a lot."

The opera singer paused from drinking. Closing his eyes, he carefully placed his cup down for a moment. Now, to Tonio, Wil rarely spoke or openly expressed his feelings unlike most of the other Vocaloids but he wasn't the type to be judgmental. Perhaps telling him the entire truth would be alright.

"Well…" he started, "it depends on my reasoning to leave the house for a drink in the first place." When Tonio felt Wil staring at him, he decided to give more detail, saying, "Sometimes I go out to drink for fun, and others because I'm stressed enough to where I want to be alone."

"Stressed…?"  
"Stressed about everything about being a Vocaloid, or my lack of feeling like one."

Wil fell silent, blinking. His eyes followed Tonio's hands as they lifted the coffee to his lips and began drinking once more. He remembered having a chat with Sonika and Miku at the arcade about Tonio's low self-esteem which mentally, emotionally, and even physically injured him. He wasn't going to tell the other man that it was probably dangerous to his health for drinking so much, especially for emotional reasons.

…then again, alcohol didn't get to him that much unless he had a horrendously large sum of drinks. God only knew what he was like once he hit that limit.

"I know you said that you want to be alone," Wil chimed in, "but, don't you wish you had someone supportive with you when you're like that?"

"Once in a while, yes."

Instead of asking about perhaps Prima accompanying him, Wil accidentally blurted out, "Have you attempted asking anybody out?"

Tonio opened his eyes — why he even had them still closed was anyone's guess — and glanced at him. "That almost sounded as though I should ask someone out on a date…"

Wil sat up straight in his seat as he blushed lightly. He murmured out whilst slowly lifting a part of his scarf over his mouth, "I didn't mean it like I date, I meant like asking a friend for company…"

"…" Tonio coughed softly in order to clear his throat again. "I honestly never thought about that, due to the fact that I don't believe any sane person would want to be around me during those times."

"I would," was what Wil thought; however, he was shocked once he realized he had let another word slip out into the open. He didn't blush harder like he assumed he was going to do, but he simply sat there and kept his eyes on the brown-eyed man. "I like you a lot…Tonio."

Tonio, on the other hand, _did_ turn red. "Is…is that so?"

"Yeah." He nodded. He might as well admit to it, although it could be too soon. "Maybe we could…hang out together whenever you decide to head out for a drink again? Or you could come with me during my morning or night walk…"

This was the first time Tonio was asked if he needed company or wished to join someone else, and it honestly caused him to feel peculiar. He could've sworn he felt his stomach leap though he wouldn't admit to whether or not it was due to who was giving him this offer. If he had to admit, Wil was handsome and was sweet. And he did like being greeted by him in the morning and night. Maybe this was a good idea.

Wil thought Tonio would refuse, giving in to — what Sonika called it — his "_tsundere_" mood; however…

"Alright. I'll probably head there tonight."

* * *

"I came out here the previous night due to certain things going on that are 'Vocaloid-related'," Tonio confessed as he observed his second glass of martini, "but tonight, it's for fun."

Wil couldn't stop himself from smiling a little at the opera singer across from him at the booth they were in. At the moment, these two were at a restaurant which was inside of a five-star hotel; the place where he and the other Engloids frequently visited. In fact, this was probably the same one that Leon, Lola, and Miriam resided ever since retirement. Tonio expected Wil to say something, but he quirked a brow to see Wil simply smiling at him with those narrowed eyes of his. Good Lord, he's handsome. Giving off a rather exotic charm and relaxed mannerism. He actually felt more at ease with him. Caused by the stare he was getting, Tonio felt his face heat up which then convinced him to move his eyes elsewhere and take a sip of his martini.

"S—so," Tonio spoke up, snapping Wil out of a trance he was in, "did you want anything to eat?"

"Oh, um…" Wil blushed from embarrassment, lowering his voice as he replied, "no thank you. I'm not hungry." His left hand grabbed his pink-tinted cosmopolitan off the table, adding, "This drink is all I need. Thank you."

They fell into silence for the following minutes with the two stealing glances of each other when the other Vocaloid wasn't looking. Such innocent tension between two men who enjoyed the company they were receiving by someone they liked. For Wil, he got to be with somebody he was developing feelings for; it was uncertain how Tonio felt about Wil.

…well, considering how warm he was starting to feel around Wil, Tonio had a presumption on his thoughts about Wil and the amount he liked him. Perhaps he liked him more than a friend.

Crossing his ankles as he leaned back against his seat at the booth, Wil downed his drink whilst Tonio watched him just as he finished off his own alcoholic drink. Upon staring at him, Tonio noticed Wil had rather long eyelashes and how gorgeous he appeared thanks to his fringe brushing across his forehead elegantly.

Oh God, if Sonika was here, she would shout out that he was attracted to Wil.

I—if he was attracted to him, which he wasn't. Not by a long shot. No matter how lovely he looked.

Wil, in the meantime, had more confirmed thoughts of his _own_ feelings for Tonio. He should try saying something instead of remaining quiet. What, though? He wasn't much of a talker, of course. Maybe he could ask what Tonio wanted to do later.

He sat his empty glass in the middle of the table, quietly saying, "Tonio, I—"

Before Wil could complete his sentence, Tonio interrupt him by blurting out loud, "You look pretty."

_Merda_.

Blood shot to their face at Tonio's sudden words. Tonio immediately downed his martinis and kept quiet for the rest of their time down at the restaurant while Wil covered his mouth as he glanced at the table to avoid eye contact. This would last another hour or two, and also thirty or so drinks in Tonio's terms.

* * *

"I apologize for saying that," a flushed, drunken Tonio murmured as soon as he fell back on the hotel bed.

Wil, only having two more glasses of cosmopolitan, took a seat on the comfy red recliner with no feeling of wooziness like his partner. "It's okay," he assured him. "To be honest, I'm surprised you said that. You're not into admitting things a lot, so…"

The youngest of the two Vocaloids removed his scarf which he had worn on the ride to the hotel. What to do? Tonio was so drunk that he had to have assistance out of his seat, up the elevator, and to this room. Wil looked down at his wrist watch to check the time. It was two hours past midnight.

Tonio slowly sat up, kicking off his shoes as he did so, pulled off his bow tie and his jacket soon followed. He didn't care much about placing them neatly on a dresser due to his current condition, so he let the items drop to the floor on the left hand corner.

Wil took note of how crimson Tonio looked and the state of his black hair. Not really messy, but not combed down like he had seen it in prior. He chose to say, "You look cute, Tonio."

He stared over at Wil as his ears rung upon the compliment being handed to him. "Excuse me…?"

Wil couldn't stop himself from smiling at his stare whilst he simply took a seat beside the opera singer. "I'm complimenting you after what you said about me. I hope you don't mind."

Tonio let himself fall back against the head of the bed until he hit the pillow. Wil mimicked the movement by lying his head beside Tonio's. With one being far too drunk to entirely function and the other entirely sober, they stared at the ceiling with no idea what to do next.

'_I should try telling him_,' Wil thought. 'He's a bit tipsy, so maybe he won't remember.' This could be considered a bold move on his part. Would he regret telling Tonio his thoughts about him? Maybe, maybe not. It wouldn't hurt to try either way…

"Tonio."  
"Hm?"

"How would you feel if somebody told you that they had a crush on you?" he questioned without turning to look at him.

"Crushes, they…" Tonio paused to shake his head as a way to clear his foggy mind, "they come and go. They'll probably find someone they like."

Oh.

"What if it's treading on strongly liking someone romantically?" he tried asking again, this time being more clear on what he was saying. "I'm guessing you probably don't think anyone would ever like you in that way, but…I think it is."

The brown-eyed Vocaloid immediately caught on. Wil has been stealing glances of him all this time, and even before coming here — whenever they saw each other either in the early morning or late at night — Wil would smile at him rather softly. _He_, meanwhile, always had to stop himself from stumbling over his words because of Wil.

He was drunk, yes, but he knew what was going on around him. And by the look of things, these mere exchanges here and down in the restaurant was a way of Wil to confess his feelings for him.

"In English," his soft voice broke Tonio's thoughts, "I like you in that manner."

Tonio immediately rolled onto his side to face Wil. Shakily — not from nerves, but rather from the alcohol — he shifted in his spot until he was able to plant a kiss on Wil's lips. It wasn't on the intimate side, no, but the kiss still caused Wil's eyes to widen from the action.

"I like you also," he mumbled, and then he pressed another kiss on his lips, making certain not to be sloppy. He plopped back to his place on the bed and instantly fell asleep, letting the alcohol knock him out.

Wil blushed harder than he ever blushed before. This was an accomplishment on Tonio's part.

* * *

_"Kyo,"_ Wil text him minutes later with his face still red and eyes remaining wide from the shock of getting kissed twice by the sleeping man beside him on this king sized bed.

Kyo soon responded, _"Yeah?"_

_"I told Tonio my feelings for him."_  
_ "Really? What'd he say?"_

Bluntly, Wil confessed, _"He kissed me twice and said he liked me too."_

Less than thirty seconds after the quiet Vocaloid sent that text, Kyo text back.

_"WHAT?! OMG…that was fast. You two are already doing second and third base, I'll bet…"_

_"Stop that…"_ Wil frowned.

_ "So what's going on now?"_  
_ "We're going to sleep. Well, Tonio passed out from all of the drinks he had after he kissed me. I'm getting tired, so I'll be joining him."_

Kyo asked via text, _"What's going to happen then? You guys going to start dating?"_

He looked over at Tonio, who managed to sleep up against him somehow, then a smile crept to his face. Tonio looked rather cute asleep and seemed at peace. It was a nice sight, considering how the opera singer never enjoyed things that much "anymore", according to Sonika and a few other Vocaloids.

All he typed back before going to bed with a smile still present was, _"I'm not sure. Who knows? Something could happen later. Slowly, but surely. Anyway…goodnight, Kyo. Thanks for responding."_

**end(?)**


End file.
